Archive for September, 2017

﻿It’s now been two years and a month since the Toronto Maple Leafs traded Phil Kessel to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Toronto Maple Leafs traded Phil Kessel, Tyler Biggs, Tim Erixon, and a second round pick who turned out to be Kasper Bjorkqvist. In return, they got Kasperi Kapanen, Scott Harrington, Nick Spaling, a first round pick, and a third round pick.

The Leafs then traded most of these pieces. They were left with Kerby Rychel, Kasperi Kapanen, Raffi Torres, Frederik Andersen, a 2018 second round pick, and a 2016 third round pick who turned out to be J.D. Greenway.

Let’s see what pieces the Leafs got out of this trade.

Kerby Rychel

Kerby Rychel is a great prospect who is a major player on the Toronto Marlies. He had the most points on the Marlies, with 52 points in 73 games. Admittedly, a lot of the star players on the Marlies such as Leipsic were injured, but this gave a chance for Rychel to prove his worth. Rychel is an expendable piece who can be packaged for a right handed defensemen.

Kasperi Kapanen is one of the top prospects of the Leafs right now, and had an amazing opportunity to prove his worth in the late season with the Leafs. He scored when the Leafs really need it, such as his first NHL goal in the playoff clincher versus the Pittsburgh Penguins. With five minutes left and the Leafs down 3-2, Kapanen scored which could have been the difference between making the playoffs or not. And even more, when Kapanen scored the double-ot winner against the Washington Capitals. Kapanen is an amazing prospect and could really turn out to be a core piece on the Leafs in the future.

Frederik Andersen

Frederik Andersen was the answer to the Leafs’ goaltending problem. When the Leafs traded Reimer and Bernier, the Leafs needed a reliable netminder who was more consistent than Reimer or Bernier. The Leafs acquired him from the Anaheim Ducks for the 30th overall pick from Pittsburgh and a second round pick. Andersen was a great solution for the Leafs and was reliable when the Leafs needed him most. Not a star goalie, but he’s an above average goalie who will do the job.

So was it worth it?

These are the core pieces that the Leafs acquired. Other than that, Raffi Torres was acquired, who is not likened in the NHL. As a result, the Leafs got rid of him. J.D. Greenway was also acquired. He was added to the US Roster for the cheap jerseys authentic World Juniors Showcase recently. Greenway is an overlooked prospect.

But most importantly, by trading Kessel, the Toronto Maple Leafs dropped to the bottom of the standings, getting them Matthews. The trade isn’t worth it at all if you don’t consider Matthews, but once you do, it’s a great trade.

﻿PITTSBURGH — Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne, who looked almost invincible in Stanley Cup Final Games 3 and 4 in Nashville, was cheap jerseys nhl pulled after giving up three goals on nine shots in the first period of Game 5.

He was replaced by backup Juuse Saros at the start of the second period, and Saros gave up a goal to Pittsburgh Penguins forward Conor Sheary at 1:19 on the first shot he faced. That gave Pittsburgh a 4-0 advantage, and they went on to win 6-0. Saros gave up three goals on 15 shots in relief.

Defenseman Ryan Ellis said Tuesday Rinne was the team’s MVP all season long. It stings, then, that his play has hurt his team so far. Keep in mind Nashville has a 64-39 shot advantage so far in this series. At the other end of the ice stands Mr. Cucumber, aka the cool Matt Murray, efficient in his movements, steady and unflappable. The Penguins easily could’ve trailed after two periods Wednesday, but Murray wasn’t having it. He finished Game 2 with 37 saves.

It wasn’t as if Rinne gave up soft goals. He seemed to be screened on defenseman Justin Schultz’s shot from the point that started the scoring. Bryan Rust beat him with a well-placed backhander in the upper-right corner and Evgeni Malkin whistled a shot high into the net with 11 seconds left in the period.

After four seasons in Los Angeles, Redick will suit up for the 76ers next season.

“Going back to the Clippers was honestly just not an option,” he explained on The Chronicles of Redick podcast. “I kind of figured last summer when they signed Austin (Rivers) and Jamal (Crawford) back, they basically had guaranteed $25 million in salary for this upcoming season.

“And I knew they weren’t gonna really be able to commit financially long-term to having a third shooting guard at a high rate. That’s just unrealistic.

“June 29th — Lawrence Frank was nice enough and professional enough to give me a call. I call it my ‘break-up call.’ He basically said ‘You know, we’re not gonna bring you back.’

“But like I said, I have a great relationships there and am very appreciative of my time.”

Redick was joined on his inaugural UNINTERRUPTED podcast by Maverick Carter — UNINTERRUPTED CEO.

The two had the following exchange:

Carter: “Win, lose, or draw, you gotta have fun going to work. The worst place a person — not just an athlete — if you’re not getting up every day and going, ‘Oh, I can’t wait to get in to work. I’m gonna have some fun today. At least I’m gonna see some people I like.’

“And I think that’s important, too. Finding that right fit … you talked about it on the Clippers — you guys lost fun. Everyone watching the Clippers could tell that. None of you guys were saying it, but everybody watching the Clippers would go, ‘This team isn’t having fun. They’re a really good team, really talented, a collection of great players. but they’re just not having fun.’

“You watch the teams who are having fun — you watch their bench, you watch how everyone reacts — anyone who knows sport could watch you guys and go, ‘they’re not having fun.'”

Redick: “The natural follow-up question to that statement would be: ‘Why not? Why are you guys not having fun? You’re playing for Doc, you’re in LA, you’ve got talent, you should be having fun.’ And at least for the four years that cheap jerseys I was there, you try to put your finger on it … and I could never do that.

“Leaving there, I don’t have any ill will towards anyone certainly. Certainly no one to blame or anything like that … we just couldn’t get it done in the postseason.”

﻿The 2017 NBA offseason has been one of the most hectic in recent memory, what with Paul George dealt to the Thunder, Chris Paul sent to the Rockets, Gordon Hayward signing with the Celtics and more rumors than you can even count. And with the Carmelo Anthony and Kyrie Irving situations still up in the air, there could even be more fireworks to come.

Still, it’s not too early to start thinking about next summer, which could eclipse this one with all the premiere free agents — most notably, LeBron James — hitting the market. One of those big names that will be up for a new contract is Isaiah Thomas, and the Celtics’ All-Star point guard certainly already has next summer on his mind.

﻿If you’re hankering for some hockey, want to support a good cause, and/or live near Geneva, Ill., then we got a good opportunity for you.

The 2017 Chicago Hockey Charity Classic, which will feature Blackhawks players Patrick Kane and Vinnie Hinostroza, is just a few days away on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Fox Valley Ice Arena, home of the USHL’s Chicago Steel.

The special event is being held to raise money for Special Olympics-Chicago, which helps provide training and competitions for athletes with disabilities. It should be a fun day, and a worthy cheap jerseys cause for your support.

The game will feature two 25-minute halves, and presumably not a lot of defense.

In addition to the game, there will also be a special hockey clinic in the morning for kids, a silent auction, raffles, and other cool prizes for those attending.

So if you’re looking to get your hockey fix this weekend, or simply want to give some money to people who could really use it, then check out the Chicago Hockey Charity Classic this weekend.

Tickets for the event are $25 each, and can be purchased here. Additionally, if you’d like to donate directly to Special Olympics-Chicago, you can do so here. They’re trying to raise $100,000, and at the time of writing this, they’ve already passed $61,000. Let’s help them reach their goal!